You seem overwhelmed, you should simplify things. Choose one reason that you feel that a high school education will end up being important to you.

Once you have a general topic see if you can then pick four examples or subtopics within that first general topic. This way you can have one paragraph for an introduction, one for the conclusion, and one for each subtopic.

Put the strongest two subtopics toward the beginning and toward the end. If you feel one or two subtopics are weaker then put them in the middle.

Tell a story. Describe a person who lives without an education. What kind of job does s/he have? What does s/he look like? Where does s/he live? What does his/her future look like? You can also do the opposite. Write about someone who has succeeded because of his/her education. Answer the same questions. Showing is usually better than telling. Be creative; teachers don't like to read essays that all sound the same.

Begin your essay with a strong introduction. You might begin with a statement like: "Unlike Emily in "I Stand Here Ironing," I believe a high school education is very important." After you make your opening statement give one or two reasons why you feel the way you do. Following your introductory paragraph write four supporting paragraphs to give specific information as to why you feel the degree is important in your life. You might use Emily's apathy as an example of a negative way to feel about education. She wasn't even interested in taking her exams. This would not be a good way to prove your position toward graduating. After an introduction paragraph, four strong supporting paragraphs that use specific examples from your life, develop a strong concluding paragraph inwhich you summarize what you have written in the previous four paragraphs.

First thing to look at is 6 paragraphs. Paragraph number 1 and 6 are the opening and closing. They will be telling what you want to say and tell what you said. They will be very similar just rewording the same information. Next you have 4 paragraphs for the body of the essay.

What does the education mean to you personally, do you have someone in your family without a high school education, or have all your family member graduated high school and you want to continue the tradition? If you have a family member that was a high school drop out, what does that mean to you? Are you motivated to learn from that mistake? What are your plans for the future? Do you need a diploma to achieve that goal?

Try to come up with 3 points to focus on. Tell a story, give specific examples and relate back to yourself personally explaining the relationship and how it motivates you to work harder and achieve more. End with a challenge to others so they do not give up, or end with a dramatic quote.

To pick up on #2, I would really try and think through it from your own point of view - what is it you are hoping to gain from your education? How will it help you achieve or gain your goals or satisfy your ambitions? You might also want to think through the value of an education not just for you, but what would it mean to your parents and society at large? How will you be viewed with your diploma? How would you be viewed if you didn't get your diploma? Thinking through these questions should help you get started. Good luck!

Six paragraphs should not be too bad. As someone else said paragraph one is your introduction and paragraph six is your conclusion. That only leaves four paragraphs left! I would try to narrow your focus to one or two things that you feel strongly about why a high school diploma is important. Four paragraphs will fill in pretty quickly.

Begin by combining these three things into one coherent topic. You should design a thesis about why high school is important to you, and then use those areas you included as evidence to develop your thesis. In other words, describe what you think you'll get from high school.

It seems you have three very specific questions to answer. You might want to start by answering those questions. How do you feel about receiving a high school diploma? Once you answer the first question, the other two should be simple. For instance, if a student said they were excited about receiving their diploma, they might think the diploma is an important step in achieving their chosen career. Thus, answering the second two questions of what they will gain and why it is important. Find a common thread between your answers to these three questions and you will have your thesis statement.